Missing
by blue peanut m and m
Summary: Two agents go missing, one is found. Just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking? Rating will be placed higher from chapter 4, please read warnings in chapter there after.
1. Chapter 1

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found. Just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . Okay so I love the relationship between Gideon and Reid, so this fic is gonna be set when he's still there. It will be completely AU, but may mention episodes from the show. Thank you so much for stopping by to read, and I hope that you enjoy.**

Prologue. . . . . . . . . . .

The agents entered quickly through the rusted metal door, that hung precariously on it's warped hinges. Their feet moved quietly through the decrepit abandoned warehouse, the soft rubber of their soles disturbing dust that had lain for years, the motes drifting lazily up to be caught in the soft glow of their flashlights. The whole place was a warren of hallways and small boxed off offices, litter and broken furniture strewn carelessly about, some walls and ceilings collapsed in places, rubble and metal joists blocking their path forcing them to either find another route, or to step over it in places, and taking away precious seconds they couldn't afford to loose, but lost anyway; they had to be here, they just had to be, so if loosing seconds meant they lessoned the chance of tipping of the un-subs, then they were willing to do so. Water dripped down on them in places, testament to the fact that the place hadn't been used in years, the winter wind howling through the holes in the roof easily heard rushing through the floors above. Rats scurried away as the beams of light found their hiding places, causing shivers to run down the spines of one or two agents, but their faces remained stoic, their minds set on just one goal, finding and getting their team members back.

They slowly continued on with their search, stepping carefully down worn iron stairs and into the lower levels of the structure, aiming for the rooms that hoped contained their friends, following the guidance of Garcia who was carefully monitoring heat signatures on her screens, along with the two live video feeds of her two battered and beaten collegues. She stopped them as they drew close to the first source.

"Next room on the right guys, please be careful."

No one replied, they couldn't risk the chance that the person behind the door wasn't their friend but their un-sub. They took positions and slowly counted down, opening the door they trained their weapons and entered. Brief feelings of relief flooded through them as their flashlights picked out the bleeding and barely conscious form of the agent, Garcia's cries of "thank god" making their way to their ears. As Gideon's trembling and harsh voice spoke out though, they knew they couldn't celebrate just yet.

"Where is he? Have you found him?" He asked, getting all the confirmation he needed when no one answered. "Go, go find him. You need to go find him."

Knowing he was right, they split up, two of them staying with their fallen leader, the rest making their way to the other heat source. They again allowed Garcia to guide them, following her instructions, turning down hallway after hallway until she once more beckons' them to stop. They prepare again, count down again, raise their hands to open the door again, but then stop as Garcia gasps across the airwaves, before shouting at them that something is wrong, that her live feed just died. Knowing they can't wait any longer they push open the door, but this time there's no celebration, no joy, no relief, just a propane heater standing in the middle of the room, drying the congealing blood that has been spilt upon the floor. Blood they were sure had been spilt from Spencer Reid's body.

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . Okay so this is my first attempt at a Criminal Minds fanfic, is it worth continuing on with? Please let me know.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . Wow! Thank you so much to everyone who took time out to read the first chapter, and to those who reviewed. I never expected such a response, and I can't tell you how much it has boosted me to write faster. So here's chapter 2, I hope that you enjoy. Peanut x**

One Year Later. . . . . . . .

Morgan sighed as he pushed open the doorway to the BAU offices, he could already tell that today was going to be a bad day, he still loved his job, still enjoyed capturing bad guys and making the streets that little bit safer, but for the past year the buzz he received had gradually gotten smaller and smaller, something was missing, and as he looked over his own desk he knew what that missing thing was, Reid. He missed his friend, his brother. He missed his dry wit, he missed his innocence, which in this job was rare, he missed the empathy he felt for victims, and sometimes for the un-sub, hell he even missed the way he could prattle off a fact about near enough everything. After two months, the higher ups had decided the team needed to be complete again, and tried to fill the vacancy left by the doctor, but nobody who'd worked within the bureau for a while applied for the post, and anybody who came in new, for some reason never seemed to stay. So the team stayed a man short, something they were happy to do, and the desk stood exactly as he had left it, his name plaque still resting to the right of his computer, his cup which he had so carefully labeled with his name, washed and ready for the next cup of sugary coffee he poured, his note pad and pen still resting, waiting for his genius brain to start once again solving cases.

He dropped his own coffee cup down and remembered the day Hotch had told him to empty Reid's desk, that it was needed for the first of the newbies that never stayed. He'd waited until everyone else had gone home before starting, grabbing an empty evidence box and emptying everything off the top before starting on the drawers. He'd been okay as he took out everything from the drawers on the right, he'd even been okay as he started on the top two on the left hand side, but as he reached the bottom one and moved aside a couple of old files, the emotions he had been keeping in check since the day they had found that empty room, finally broke free. He'd pulled out the box that rested at the bottom and placed it on the floor, closing the drawer he pushed back Reid's chair, taking his own place upon the floor instead, before lifting the lid. Guilt washed over him as he carefully pulled out item after item, these were Spencer's private things, and he knew his brother would be mortified if he knew Morgan was now looking through them, but he couldn't stop and with every item he pulled out, his face grew wetter and wetter.

He found gift tags from every birthday, or Christmas present Reid had ever received from the team; a troll pen Garcia had given him to try and break his stuffiness; the whistle Morgan gave him after his failure on the gun test, how he had gotten it back after throwing it at him at the end of the case they had been working, Morgan had no idea; he found the Redskins stubs from the mysterious date Reid and JJ had gone on; the tabloid magazine with Reid on the front cover with Lila; an old essay that Reid had written that Gideon had marked; little things that meant nothing to others, but meant the world to Reid, showing of his love for his team, his family. All the items were now back in the desk drawer, along with everything else Morgan had removed that day, an unwritten rule was created, the desk was Reid's and would forever stay that way until he returned, or they finally found confirmation that he was gone.

He looked away from the desk as his thoughts drifted darker, and looked up instead to the leader offices, a light illuminated in one, the other dark and silent, it's door never opened since that day six weeks ago when yet another fracture appeared within their team, the day the higher above's had told Hotch and Gideon that Reid's case had been closed, the day that shouting had rang out loud in the normally quiet bullpen, the day Gideon had walked out of the office never to return, the leader unable to live with the guilt he felt for being found when Reid wasn't, unable to truly focus on anything but finding his surrogate son, sure he want on cases and helped them solve most of them, but Reid was always at the back of his mind, consuming every non working hour he had, taking over the cabin he had bought for the solitude and a means to escape, until it resembled the conference room when ever they had a case. Morgan had seen it, had been there one time when Gideon had rang him drunk and inconsolable, ranting off statements of "I have to find him" and "I promised him I would get him out" over and over again. Morgan had gotten Garcia to track him down, and raced there thinking his boss was about to do something stupid, only to find him passed out cold surrounded by pictures of Reid, and the case they had been working on when the two agents had gone missing.

Morgan wished he could say that Gideon was the only one affected, but he knew he would be lying if he did so. He himself had become a workaholic, putting in fifteen/sixteen hour days, rather than return home and spend his hours thinking about his brother. Garcia had become quieter, her usual bubbly demeanor changing drastically, her unique style now conservative, her phone voice business. JJ was inconsolable, like Morgan she had considered Spence a brother, and an extremely close one at that. She had collapsed as she heard the news that the room had been empty, not talking to anyone for weeks afterwards as the trail for Reid grew colder and colder, she had finally come out of the slump, knowing that it would do her brother no good to be that way, only to fall back into it the day Gideon left. Emily has done her usual compartmentalizing, but even she couldn't hide the haunted look they all carried around with them now. Hotch had become even more stoic and withdrawn, Reid's disappearance and the subsequent investigation the final nail in his marriages coffin.

He pulled himself out of the dark memories and tried to concentrate on the countless files that littered his work space, only to stop as he realized the time. Putting the file down, and pushing his chair back he stood and made his way to the conference room and the weekly team meeting, nodding a greeting to JJ, Hotch and Emily as he entered. He poured another cup of coffee and settled into one of the seats, waiting for Hotch to start, the man just opening his mouth to talk when Garcia bustled into the room, a look of pure horror on her face.

"Guys, I just got sent an email with a live video feed, I think you need to see this, but before you do you need to know I wasn't the only one sent it."

"What do you mean you weren't the only one sent it? Who else got it? And what does it contain?" Hotch asked.

"It was sent to. . . . . . . . . ." Garcia started to reply only to stop as another voice spoke up.

"It was sent to me." Gideon answered from the doorway. "And it contains Reid."

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . . .

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . Slow chapter I know, but I wanted to try and show the devastation I think would happen if anything were to happen to the good doctor. I hope it worked? On to the action next chapter, thanks for reading. Peanut x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . I'm still shocked at the amazing response this fic is getting, I seriously can't thank you guys enough for taking time put to read it. Here's chapter 3, I hope that you enjoy this one as much.**

**Warning!!!!!! Okay so I'm starting the warnings early the chapter after this chapter will be flashing back in time, and will go into detail about the murder case that Gideon and Reid were working on when they were taken, so be warned. Peanut x**

* * *

_Previously on Criminal Minds. . . . . . . . . . . _

"_Guys, I just got sent an email with a live video feed, I think you need to see this, but before you do you need to know I wasn't the only one sent it."_

"_What do you mean you weren't the only one sent it? Who else got it? And what does it contain?" Hotch asked._

"_It was sent to. . . . . . . . . ." Garcia started to reply only to stop as another voice spoke up._

"_It was sent to me." Gideon answered from the doorway. "And it contains Reid."_

* * *

"Garcia?!! Gideon?!! What the hell's going on?" Morgan eventually asked, his mind scrambling to control the thoughts racing around inside it. "Did you just say Reid is in a video?"

"Yes." Gideon answered, the ex BAU agent making his way over to the laptop as he spoke. Plugging in a USB he turned before continuing. "This was sent to me this morning and I forwarded it on to Garcia."

"What's in it?" Hotch asked this time.

"Reid!" Gideon replied. "Listen we don't have time to sit here and debate, the video will explain." He moved the cursor and clicked on the link, the grainy night vision image showing on both the laptop and the big screen behind it.

Out of focus at first, it soon started to clear up as it moved down a hallway towards a closed and heavily locked door. A hand moved from behind the camera to slowly unlock the door and push it open, the warped and swollen wooden frame audibly groaning as it was pushed on rusted hinges. Boot clad feet entered the frame as the person holding the camera made it's way down wooden stairs, a creak echoing around the room with each step taken, until with a splash they finally reached the bottom. More splashes could be heard as the video moved it's way through the basement through room after room, the chill of the place told from the steamy breaths that kept moving across the screen, until it found the room it was looking for. Four agents held their breath, the other two knowing what was about to come. They all watched as the video panned down, the grainy camera picking out the bars of a cage, before it zoomed in all of a sudden and for the first time in a year they saw an image of their lost friend.

Garcia's tears fell once again, just as they had when she had watched earlier; JJ and Emily turned away from the image, hands covering their mouths, eyes watering with their own tears; Morgan shouted out obscenities, and threw his half filled mug of coffee across the room before standing and punching the wall in despair; Hotch sat stoic as usual, unable to pull his eyes away from the young agent, only a tightening of his jaw giving away his own feelings; Gideon moved closer to the screen, and the son he so loved, his eyes blazing with a fury he could no longer control.

On the screen, Reid sat huddled and cowering in the furthest corner of his small cage, his hands chained to one of the roof bars, his knees pulled up close to his chest, his feet divested of his shoes trying desperately to push his body even further away from his captor. His head hung low, his frightened eyes looking out from beneath lank hair, unable to hold the gaze with his tormentor for too long before they submissively dropped to the ground once again. Even in the garish green glow, the team could see streaks of what they knew would be blood running down his face; blood that they could also see trailing down from his grotesquely swollen wrists, and upon the white shirt he had been placed in. Always striking concern from others because of his weight before hand, that concern was now intensified, his eyes sunken deep within their sockets, his cheeks hollow, the bones sharp and angular, his arms nothing more than bone with a thin covering of flesh, bruises vividly littering every inch.

They all jumped and turned back to watch as a rod was smashed down upon the cage, all of them cringing again as it was brought back down over and over again, one of the blows eliciting a cry of pain from Reid as it was smashed upon the chain that held the shackles that bound his hands. They all looked away from their friend, unwilling to watch as he melted down before them, shaking and cowering and pleading and sobbing in fear, but no matter where they looked they could not escape the cries. It was a blessing when the screen finally went blank, a blessing that didn't last very long before Gideon spoke up once more.

"There's another link with a video."

"No, no, no, no, no, no. I can't watch another one, I just can't." Garcia cried out, turning her face into Morgan's chest as he crouched down beside her to offer comfort.

"It's okay baby girl, you don't have to watch it, but we have to. It could help us find Reid."

"I know, I know and I'm so sorry. I want to find him as much as you guys do, but I can't watch. I'm sorry." With that she rose from her chair and left, the sanctuary of her work space calling her.

"Play the other video Gideon, lets see what it contains."

Gideon did as he was asked, he'd already looked at what it contained, already knew what was about to be played, but he sat down and readied himself to watch it all over again.

The scene was different this time, the shot being taken at night from what they presumed was a car, of a warehouse. Nothing happened at first, a couple of people walked by, a few cars, but then all hell broke loose, and the team realized what they were actually looking at. They watched themselves as they rushed from cars, before slowly moving towards the building, watched as they all entered leaving a few police officers behind, watched for nearly half an hour before they reappeared, looks of disappointment upon their faces, and a hobbling and beaten Gideon leaning heavily upon Hotch. The camera left them at that point, the zoom lens closing back in, the camera panning back over the interior of the car until it focused on a bleeding and unconscious Reid lying across the back seats. A voice spoke.

"I gave you all the clues, Agent Gideon. You had a chance to stop me and you blew it by choosing to warn my victims instead of trying to hunt me down. You paid a heavy price though didn't you Jason? How is the leg by the way? But your price was nothing compared to what dear Doctor Reid had to pay, a price I'm sorry to say he's still paying, but I'm sure you saw that in the video I sent you."

"I grow tired now though Gideon, tired and bored. And as I'm not a completely heartless soul, I will give you one last chance to stop me, one last chance to get back your young boy wonder. You'll have forty eight hours to follow the clues and reach your prize. Forty eight hours to follow the clues and find me, at which point I promise you I will tell you where Dr Reid is. But beware, if you stray from the game, dear Spencer will pay; and if you fail to complete the game, you will never see him, or me again. You'll receive your first clue shortly. Have fun."

Five sets of eyes looked up in horror.

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . .

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . Thanks for taking time out to read, I hope that you enjoyed. Will be back soon with chapter 4, Peanut x**


	4. Chapter 4

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . I'm still shocked at the amazing response this fic is getting, I seriously can't thank you guys enough for taking time put to read it. Here's chapter 4, I hope that you enjoy this one as much. From here on in the rating for this fic will be raised, as the team start looking into past murders. Happy reading, Peanut x**

* * *

_Previously on Criminal Minds. . . . . . . . . _

"_I grow tired now though Gideon, tired and bored. And as I'm not a completely heartless soul, I will give you one last chance to stop me, one last chance to get back your young boy wonder. You'll have forty eight hours to follow the clues and reach your prize. Forty eight hours to follow the clues and find me, at which point I promise you I will tell you where Dr Reid is. But beware, if you stray from the game, dear Spencer will pay; and if you fail to complete the game, you will never see him, or me again. You'll receive your first clue shortly. Have fun."_

_Five sets of eyes looked up in horror._

* * *

"So what do we do now?" JJ asked, as at the same time Morgan shouted. "What are we waiting for?" They had both risen to their feet at the same time, both eager to get the man they thought of as a sibling back.

"We do nothing." Gideon replied. "We wait, you heard the man."

"What? So we sit here and twiddle our thumbs whilst The Kid is cold and scared and alone, and from the looks of things in the dark. You remember Reid don't you?" Morgan asked, his eyes traveling across each of his colleagues faces. "You remember he hates and fears the dark, don't you? Did you see him?! Did you see him?!!" He shouted. "He looks. . . . . . . . .he looks broken."

"Morgan! Morgan, this isn't helping. We don't even no where to start looking." Hotch reprimanded his subordinate. "We need to all calm down and start looking at this as we would any other case. We need to close off our feelings and start from scratch."

"But it's Reid, Hotch." Morgan's voice cracked as he spoke.

"Damn it, I know that Morgan, but we can't afford to let our feelings rule us. Gideon, take us back. Tell us everything you know about the case you and Reid were working on. Walk us through it as though we have never heard it before. Leave nothing out, hearing it with fresher ears might help."

Gideon moved away from the big screen and over to the table that held coffee and assorted compliments. Making himself a cup, he took a sip before starting to talk.

"We were snowed under remember. All teams were working at least two jobs each. Hotch, you and Morgan and Emily were working that serial rapist down in Florida, a tough one I believe. Reid and I were called in by LAPD, to look over three murders they'd had there. It was a nasty one." Picking up the laptop he trawled through his files until he found the right one, clicking on an image he sent it to the big screen. A heavily mutilated, naked and bloody body filled up the screen, it's face so badly beaten and slashed it was unrecognizable to the picture of a handsome man Gideon then brought up beside it. One eye was swollen so tightly, the other barely hanging in it's socket. His nose had been shattered, and his lips carved into a garish Halloween like smile.

"This was the first victim. James McCartney, age 37, married with three children. Five foot eleven, one hundred and sixty pounds, blonde hair, blue eyes. Worked as a lawyer for a major firm downtown. Found five blocks away from his office in an deserted alley. He'd been the victim of a BTK, bound, tortured, and killed. Because of postmortem lividity, the locals figured he had been dumped there, but that's not the only reason. The alley was frequently used by prostitutes and the brutality of the torture, and the way he was killed indicated the un-sub had to have had somewhere quiet to work, somewhere he wouldn't have been disturbed."

"This guy was vicious, uncaring and completely devoid of emotion. He had no interest in anything else other than to inflict the most amount of pain possible, through any means possible. He broke bones, partially scalped him, cut him, and when he got bored doing that he went for the kill, slitting his victims throat with a half of a broken vinyl music album, hacking and tearing at the neck until he reached the depth he needed, the coroner stated in his report that it would have been agonizing. As a final insult, he thrust the other half of the record through Mr. McCartney's stomach so hard it reached his spine."

"Two more victims, John Osbourne and Vincent Furnier, were found before we were called in, because they occurred in different police districts the guys there didn't see the connection straight away. Two completely random men, with absolutely nothing in common with each other, or the previous victim, except for one thing, the way they died. Osbourne was 36, Furnier 35. Osbourne was a school bus driver, Furnier unemployed. Osbourne had brown hair and green eyes, Furnier red and grey. No haunts they all located, no clubs they all were members of, no stores they all visited, nothing."

"Three days after we arrived a fourth victim was found, Marc Field 34, yet another random guy seemingly caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. The manager of a local burger joint, he lived alone, his co workers became worried when he didn't show up for work. He was eventually found out back when one of them went to take out the garbage. Same trauma, same cause of death, same killer."

"I went to he scene as Reid stayed to pour over the evidence. He called me in excitement just as I arrived there, asking me to check something out for him, so I did and the relieved sigh I heard coming from the other end of the phone told me he had figured it out, but he said he still needed to check something out."

"What did he find? What did he figure out?" Hotch asked.

"Come on man, you know this already, I don't want to go back to that time again." Gideon replied.

"I know we know, but as I said, we need to hear it again with fresh ears. We might have missed something then when we were all emotional that we might not miss now."

"You don't think we're emotional now Hotch?"

"Not as much." Came Hotch's cold reply. He held up a hand as the other's started to argue with him, and added. "I can't afford to be. I lost him once, I will not do so again. Please Gideon, tell us what Reid found."

Gideon shook his head, he knew Hotch was right about schooling his emotions, he had to get his mind on the game, Reid's life now depended upon it. "I wanted to get back and find out what Spencer had found, but I knew I needed to still work the scene, plus I'd seen him often enough to know he works best when other's aren't looking over his shoulder. He was practically bouncing by the time I got back, his energy that had been waning, rejuvenated by the information he had found."

"He'd been puzzled by the choice of murder weapon. With all the injuries the men had been inflicted with, Reid couldn't understand why he had chosen such a brutal and hard way to kill them. He ordered close ups of the records to be made, and sat for hours pouring over them until he found the connection. The first victim James McCartney was killed with a copy of Black Sabbaths self titled album. The second victim John Osbourne with a copy of Alice Cooper's Killer. The third victim Vincent Furnier was killed with a copy of T-Rex's The Slider. The fourth victim Marc Field was killed with a copy of The Rolling Stones Goat Head Soup. I'll be honest I didn't get it, couldn't understand why it excited Reid so much. I guess my confusion showed, cause he started babbling as he does when he struggles to get the point across. He started writing on a white board, his handwriting virtually illegible as he hurried to make his point. I saw it then though, saw what he had found. The un-sub had been telling us all along who he was going to kill next."

"James McCartney was Paul McCartney's real name, he was killed with a Black Sabbath album that featured Ozzy Osbourne, the alter ego that shared the same real name as our second victim, John Osbourne, who was killed with an Alice Cooper album. Alice Cooper's real name was Vincent Furnier, the same as our third victim, who was Killed by a T-Rex album that featured Marc Bolan, whose alter ego was Marc Field, the same as our fourth victim. The un-sub even told us what year our victims were born in, the year of each albums release coinciding with our victims dates of birth. It was, I still believe, a master piece of planning on the un-sub's part. Taking this information to hand we knew that the next victim had to carry the real name of someone associated with the Rolling Stones, but who?"

"A call into Garcia narrowed down our search to three man we believed were in danger. We sent others to warn a Charles Watts, and a Michael Taylor, there was a chance it could have been them, whilst we went to warn who we truly believed would be the target, a man named William Perks, the real name of Bill Wyman. You know the rest. You know the un-sub was already there, you know we disturbed him when we rang the bell, you know he caught us separately off guard, you know he took me and Reid and the victim to that warehouse, you know he killed Mr. Perks anyway, and you know what happened when you found me. He told us before he separated us what the press called him, The Music Man. He seemed to revel in the attention that name brought him, revel in the fear it bestowed upon others." Gideon paused before adding. "After you found me, the un-sub and Reid vanished. I tried everything, called in favor after favor, but it was as if they didn't exist anymore. "

"So why now? Why wait a year to return?" Morgan asked eventually, once his mind had calmed down after hearing once again how they had lost Reid.

"Preparation." Hotch answered calmly. When he noticed the confused looks around him he added. "You said yourself Gideon, that it was a master plan. It would have taken some time to search for the right names, and ages, and location. I think he's been hiding whilst he searched again for victims. We need to be ready, we need to be focused, because this time we can't afford to fail." Hotch stopped talking as Garcia rushed back into the room.

"Guy's, I think we have our first clue."

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . .

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . I hope that you enjoyed? Thanks for taking time out to read, will be back soon with chapter 5, Peanut x**


	5. Chapter 5

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . I'm still shocked at the amazing response this fic is getting, I seriously can't thank you guys enough for taking time put to read it. Also thank you to those who reviewed, your words truly mean a hell of a lot to me. Warnings as before, although this chapter isn't as bad. Here's chapter 5, I hope that you enjoy this one as much. Peanut x**

* * *

_Previously On Criminal Minds. . . . . . . . . _

"_So why now? Why wait a year to return?" Morgan asked eventually, once his mind had calmed down after hearing once again how they had lost Reid._

"_Preparation." Hotch answered calmly. When he noticed the confused looks around him he added. "You said yourself Gideon, that it was a master plan. It would have taken some time to search for the right names, and ages, and location. I think he's been hiding whilst he searched again for victims. We need to be ready, we need to be focused, because this time we can't afford to fail." Hotch stopped talking as Garcia rushed back into the room._

"_Guy's, I think we have our first clue."_

* * *

"What do we have Garcia?" Hotch asked.

"I just got sent another file, we have another victim."

"Put it on the screen. Do we know who it is? Or where they are from?"

"No identity as of yet, but I think he's from DC."

"What makes you say that?"

"Oh, maybe the newspaper that's placed against his bashed in head." Garcia answered. "There's something else too."

"What?" Hotch asked.

"The file had a timer attached, it started counting down when I opened it."

They all turned as the image of their latest victim filled the screen, the timer Garcia had spoken off clearly visible too. Gideon immediately turning to JJ and asking. " JJ call your contacts over at DC police, ask them if this has been called in yet. We need to get to this scene." He looked back then, and along with the others started to analyze the photo as JJ rushed from the room.

They could all tell straight away that this was no joke, that after a year away The Music Man had struck once more, the viciousness of the attack was there for all to see, as was the broken album pieces, but whereas before the victims had been dumped outside in dirty alleys, this time they weren't.

"Why's he changed his MO?" Morgan was the first to inquire. "Why's he now chosen to gag and kill his victims in what looks to be their own homes?" Nobody answered him, and he didn't really expect them too, all attention focused once again upon the screen, only the occasional scribbling of pen on paper as each profiler made notes to bring up later.

"It got called in about an hour ago. The victim was William Preston, 35, he lived in the Georgetown District of the city, and was the owner of Menlove Ave Art Gallery. His housekeeper reported it in. I've informed the DC police that we're on our way, surprisingly they were okay with us being there." She paused and then added. "Although that might have to do with what they found."

"What did they find?" Hotch inquired.

"A letter addressed to Gideon. I took the liberty to ask them to open it, after taking precautions of course, and getting them to read it."

"What did it say?" Morgan asked this time.

"It was a riddle of some sort." JJ replied as she flipped through her notes to find the letter's contents. "From the start in the city across the sea."

"What? What the hell does that mean? And how does that help us find Reid?"

"It doesn't, not yet." Gideon replied.

"What does that mean?" Emily asked, speaking for the first time.

"It means that this is just the beginning. It's a riddle, and we have to solve it, and soon."

"Why?" Garcia inquired.

"Because Baby Mama, to get the rest of the riddle we need more victims." Morgan replied, his hand covering hers as realization took hold.

"Okay the clocks ticking, we have just over 47 hours to solve this. JJ and Garcia stay here for now. Look into William Preston's life. See if there are any connections to the other victims? Dig deep. Morgan, Gideon, Emily, grab your bags, I'll meet you at the car in ten."

The inside of the SUV, on the drive to the capitol, was quiet, the usual hour long journey cut down drastically by Morgan's frantic speed and the use of the blues and reds. Garcia and JJ called them as they turned off Potomac Street NW and down the quiet residential avenue the victim resided on, large colonial houses flanking each side of the road, old trees casting shade upon them.

"You're on speaker, what do you have Garcia?" Gideon asked.

"Not a lot I'm afraid. So far there's no connection personally that we can see. Mr. Preston lived and worked in DC and had done all his life. No family, no pets, pretty boring. No criminal record, nothing. He traveled rarely and when he did, it was by car, he had a severe phobia to flying. He bought and sold most of his work via the internet, or sent others to view the art. The art in question was photography, which brings us to the only slim connection that we could find. The photography in question was always music based. As I say slim."

"Keep checking." Hotch ground out. "There has to be something. JJ, gather all the previous case files and send them on to us." He added before hanging up and opening his door, the others quickly following behind.

The search of the house turned up little more than whet they already knew. The Un-sub had changed his MO slightly, but the viciousness and brutality of the murder was still the same, blood spatter coating the walls of the bedroom where he was killed. The newspaper was from the day before, the note that had been left written on generic note paper, and placed in an ordinary plain white envelope. No prints. No fibers. Nothing.

"Hotch, this is useless. He's messin' with us man." Morgan complained.

"I know, but at the moment we have little else to go on." He stood for a moment before adding. "You and Prentiss go to the temporary HO, the files from JJ should be there by now, start a victimology. I stay here with Gideon and check around some more." He turned back to his former colleague as they left, to see him standing in front of a photograph of two birds that was slightly askew upon the wall above the bed. "Jason, what do you see?" He waited for Gideon to reply, calling his name once more when he didn't. "Jason."

"Hmmm? What?" The older man replied distractedly.

"Does the photograph mean something?"

"I'm not sure." He replied, whilst taking a picture of it with his phone. "I'm send this to Garcia, see if she can bring it into focus more. It just seems strange that in an otherwise orderly house, this should be out of place." The sound of feet pounding up the stairs had them both turning towards the door, shocked to see Morgan appear in the frame.

"JJ just called, we have another body."

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . Dun Dun Dun another one** **bites the dust. Oh, and I know nothing about DC or it's areas, but google told me that Georgetowm was where the affluent people lived, and Potomac Street was on the map in what I think is the right area. Forgive me if I'm wrong. Will be back soon with chapter 6, catch you later, Peanut x**


	6. Chapter 6

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . I'm so sorry for the extra long wait, the worst migraine I have ever suffered took me away from my laptop and had me hiding in a very dark room. I can only hope that the content makes up for my tardiness. As always thanks for reading. Peanut x**

_Previously on Criminal Minds. . . . . . . . . _

"_Jason, what do you see?" He waited for Gideon to reply, calling his name once more when he didn't. "Jason."_

"_Hmmm? What?" The older man replied distractedly._

"_Does the photograph mean something?"_

"_I'm not sure." He replied, whilst taking a picture of it with his phone. "I'm send this to Garcia, see if she can bring it into focus more. It just seems strange that in an otherwise orderly house, this should be out of place." The sound of feet pounding up the stairs had them both turning towards the door, shocked to see Morgan appear in the frame._

45_h _16_m _35_s_

"_JJ just called, we have another body."_

"Damn! He's moving fast. What did JJ know?" Hotch asked.

"Garcia received the file about ten minutes ago, JJ's calling around her contacts now to try and find out more. What she can tell us is it's another white male, it's definitely the Music Man, and it's within the city again." Morgan left it there as his phone started to ring again, he walked away from Gideon and Hotch as he spoke to JJ one more, turning back as he hung up. "Okay, it got call in about the same time as Garcia received the file, anonymous tip from a throw away cell phone. The victims name was Richard Starkey, he was 34 and lived alone in the Silver Springs area. Her contact is waiting on our arrival, there's another message for Gideon."

"What did it say?" Gideon asked.

"It was another riddle." Morgan closed his eyes as though he was trying to remember it, then added. "To the end where they came to be free."

The three men all looked at each other, each hoping that the other would somehow have the answers, but each man's face was blank.

"We've done all we can here, lets make our way over to them." Hotch said, turning to head out of the bedroom, stopping as he noticed Gideon once more staring at the askew photograph. "Gideon? What is it?"

"We're missing something, we're missing something important but I just can't place my finger on it."

"We have to go, we need to get to the other scene. Perhaps there will be something there that will trigger a memory?" Hotch replied. Taking one last glance at the photo, Gideon followed the others out.

43_h _46_m _10_s_

The drive to the next victims turned out to be a nightmare of road works and heaving detours, that wasted precious time they all knew Reid didn't have. Pulling up in front of a rundown tenement building, they allowed one of the local police to show them to the floor the victims abode lay on. Walking through the beaten in front door they all noticed the stifling heat first before recoiling at the smell, their hands moving in front of their faces in an effort to stem the nauseous odour.

They moved as a unit through the small living space and into the even smaller bedroom where the medical examiner, having had the same nightmare journey they'd had was just finishing off. "Well, as you can probably tell this isn't a fresh death, I'd have to check my findings, but I'd estimate that he's been dead around three to four days, but with this heat and the fact the window was left cracked open allowing flies to gather, I could be wrong. He's all yours."

Hotch turned to Prentiss and Morgan. "Check out the other rooms, you never know he could have been sloppy, then talk to neighbors find out when they last saw him alive. We'll check around in here." He turned back to Jason to find the man already pouring over the evidence sealed note, his mind shut down to all around him as he tried to figure the puzzle out. Stepping carefully around his colleague and being mindful of the CSI's he started his own sweep of the room, his eyes looking for anything that could help, his heart beating a little faster as within seconds he found something. "Jason!" He called. "What do you think of this?"

Gideon tore his mind free from the note as Hotch called his name. He moved closer to see what he had found, immediately coming to the same conclusion as his ex boss. "That's been placed there. It's been staged." He said as he pulled gloves from his pocket. "This is not the victims." He added as he picked up the golden frame from the battered and in places broken dresser, it's heavy weight telling him it was real. He looked at the photograph it contained, recognizing the scene straight away from the two towers that soared above the skyline. "Manhattan, but why?" He asked to himself.

Looking over his shoulder and sensing the thoughts racing through his friends head, Hotch asked. "Do you think he just gave us Reid's location?"

"Maybe, but Manhattan's a big place. I think we still have more clues to find."

43_h _22_m _52_s_

The freezing air whipped around him, brought in from the cracks in the windows and walls, but he could do little to protect himself from it's wisps', his thin damp clothing offering little resistance to it. He tried to curl into himself, tried to conserve what little warmth he had left, but with his arms fastened so, and with every slight movement of them causing such agony, it was no use, and all he could do was allow it to attack.

His head throbbed mercilessly, and he desperately wanted to clear what he knew was blood from his eyes, but every time he did so the still healing wound would jar and the trails would start a fresh. He forced his numb feet to move him farther back into his prison as the water on the cellar floor inched once more closer to where he was sitting, the puddle his accustomed eyes could make out seeping under the door, gradually getting bigger and bigger as the rain continued to pelt down outside.

He didn't understand. He wanted to know why. Why after all this time had he been moved? Why, after he had been so good, was he now being punished? He wanted his friends. He wanted his Mom. He wanted to believe that they were still looking for him, that the videos the Man took were for them. But he had long since given up hope of ever being found and seeing them again. Had long since resolved himself to dying, held in captivity. Now he could only hope that they would at least find his body. Allowing the pitter patter of rain drops to lull him away, he slowly closed of his mind and retreated to his safe place.

**To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . . . . . **

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . Thanks as always for reading, I hope that you enjoyed? I'll try and get the next chapter out sooner. Peanut x**


	7. Chapter 7

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thanks once again to everyone who has taken time out to read this fic, and to those who have reviewed, or added to favs. I'm sorry for the late update once again, I can only hope that the content makes up for it. Peanut x**

**Warning, self harm mentioned.**

* * *

_Previously on Criminal Minds. . . . . . . . . . . . . _

_He didn't understand. He wanted to know why? Why after all this time had he been moved? Why, after he had been so good, was he now being punished? He wanted his friends. He wanted his Mom. He wanted to believe that they were still looking for him, that the videos the Man took were for them. But he had long since given up hope of ever being found and seeing them again. Had long since resolved himself to dying, held in captivity. Now he could only hope that they would at least find his body. Allowing the pitter patter of rain drops to lull him away, he slowly closed of his mind and retreated to his safe place.

* * *

_

36_h _12_m _17_s_

Gideon swiped a hand across misted over mirror, thankful that the vision before him only lasted a minute before the heat and steam of the bathroom once again hid his haunted features from his sight. He leaned heavily against the faux marble counter top, his body, mind and soul feeling weighed down with guilt, exhaustion and fear. He lifted a heavy hand and pressed the palm into his eye, trying desperately to ward off the headache that was growing from the thoughts that constantly ran through a mind that wouldn't shut off. He moved the hand away and opened his eyes, hoping that by concentrating on something else the thoughts would stop, and the pain would go away.

He looked back st the mirror and watched the tiny beads of water as they rolled down the smooth pane and collected on the brown wooden edged frame, teetering on the edge waiting for more to join it until it swelled some much it fell once again, splashing down onto the counter top with a plink that was too loud in the otherwise quiet room. He watched for a long while until he realized the condensation wasn't the only thing splashing down onto the sink. He swiped at swollen red eyes, and cursed his weakness, this wasn't the time, this wasn't the place, emotions wouldn't help Reid, but even te thought of his name sent those cursed emotions rolling once again.

Walking out of the bathroom, one towel wrapped around his waist, another draped across his shoulders, he walked over to the chair that rested against a large picture window that overlooked the hotels gardens and slumped down heavily into it. When had it happened? When had he let a rake thin, floppy haired, genius crawl so far under his skin? The questions though were easy to answer. The minute he first laid eyes on Spencer, he'd felt the need to nurture the man that was still in so many ways a child. He'd known then that he wanted him on his team, and he didn't care how many strings he needed to pull to get him. Now he had to wonder if he had made the right choice? Had to wonder if Reid would've had a better life if he had done nothing? But God he loved that kid, loved him as though he was his own child, and just like a parent, everyday he was away from him a little bit more of his heart was shattered and torn away, and Gideon had to wonder just how much was there left to take?

He couldn't do this. He couldn't sit there and wallow in self pity. Reid was still alive. Reid was still out there. He couldn't sit here and boo hoo to himself about past choices that couldn't be changed, and he couldn't sit here and try and force a mind to sleep that wanted answers, that wanted to work, that needed to find his son. He dressed quickly, and pulled sneakers onto sock less feet, he had to get back to work, he had to go over the clues, he had to find Reid.

He was so cold. He'd huddled as far back into the cage as he possibly could, but the heavy rain still fell outside and the puddle had finally reached his cage. He'd though about crouching onto his haunches and trying to keep as much of his body clear of the water as possible to try and delay the inevitable from happening, but found he no longer cared. He was going to die here anyway, what difference would it make if it was from exposure rather than dehydration? So he stayed where he was and allowed the chilled water to seep through his thin clothing, and cold to bury itself deep within his bones. Shivers wracked through his pitiful frame, causing his arms to shift and his swollen and bleeding wrists to twist slightly within the manacles that surrounded them.

He could help the groan of pain that escaped as the metal once more tore at the flesh that had expanded so much, it had now started to swell around the edges. He sat mesmerized as yet more of the precious red liquid spilled, trailing slowly down his arms to gather with the rest that had been spilt within the folds of his shirt sleeve. As he watched, the voices he had lived with and pushed back for so long, began to gain strength and break free. Taunting him and teasing him, reciting to him that no one was going to come for him, that he wasn't worth the teams efforts, that no one loved him, that he was going to die here alone.

He tried to block them out, tried to tell them they were wrong, that Gideon and the other's would come, but his voice was weak, he was weak, and no matter how hard he tried to shout, the other voices were louder, confusing him so much, muddling him so much, until he could bare it no longer, until a thought began to seep through a crack and grow stronger and stronger. Maybe he could end this quicker. Slowly he turned his wrist once more, and allowed the metal to bite even deeper within his soft, frail flesh.

35_h _32_m _26_s_

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . . .

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . I hope that you enjoyed, will be back soon with more. Catch you later, Peanut x**


	8. Chapter 8

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thanks once again to everyone who has taken time out to read this fic, and to those who have reviewed, or added to favs. I'm sorry, but it's looking as though updates are going to be a weekly thing from now on, and probably every Sunday. Peanut x**

_Previously on Criminal Minds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . _

_He tried to block them out, tried to tell them they were wrong, that Gideon and the other's would come, but his voice was weak, he was weak, and no matter how hard he tried to shout, the other voices were louder, confusing him so much, muddling him so much, until he could bare it no longer, until a thought began to seep through a crack and grow stronger and stronger. Maybe he could end this quicker. Slowly he turned his wrist once more, and allowed the metal to bite even deeper within his soft, frail flesh._

27_h _56_m _13_s_

Sleep deserting him back at the hotel, he had made his way back to the office, needing to do something, anything to keep his mind from thinking the worst. He'd sat there from the moment he'd arrived, allowing his coffee to go cold as he flipped through page after page of case notes, staring at photograph's both old and new looking for even a slightest clue, and re-read all of the un-subs latest riddles until the lines all started to blur together, and the words stabbed at his weary eyes and pricked at his mind, as though trying to get him to see the answers; but as before the answers just seemed to be out of reach. In the end, as the headache he had been containing, fought back and gradually won, he closed all the files, turned off the lights, pushed a button, and sat in the dark watching Reid over and over again on the big screen.

"Please don't give up Spencer, please don't give in. We're looking for you, I promise you that we are. We're looking." He spoke, his eyes never leaving Reid's, his back rigid with rage, his hands curled so tight around the cloth covered armrests of his chair, the heat of burns began rising in his palms, but he didn't feel it, his mind focused on someone else, his pain focused on someone else. He paused the screen on the image of Reid staring at his captor, and lifted his aching frame from the chair, moving to stand before the screen, his hand reaching out to try and brush away the errant strands of lank hair from his face. "Give me a clue Son. Send me a sign. Please try, we need you're help here."

He stopped talking as the door opened behind him, Morgan's voice warning him that he was about to turn on the lights. He waited for his eyes to adjust before turning to the younger man. "What's going on? Couldn't you sleep either?"

"No, but that's not the reason I'm here. We have another body. When we couldn't get an answer at the hotel, Hotch figured you'd be here and sent me to get you. Come on, wheels up in thirty."

"What do you mean wheels up in thirty? Where are we going?"

"Philadelphia."

"He's changed states! But that doesn't make any sense."

"Hell Gideon, none of this makes any sense, but sitting here debating it aint gonna get Reid back, so come on we need to go."

They knew they wouldn't have much time to go over things whilst they were in the air, the trip basically consisting of the plane rising for less than half an hour before it began descending once again, but it beat wasting two and a half hours driving, so they endured it whilst still trying to find out as much as possible from JJ.

"The MO is the same, and the note was again addressed to Gideon which was one of the reasons we were called in so soon. The victims name was Stuart Sutcliffe, he was 38." JJ's voice spoke over the speaker of the laptop Hotch had opened. "Garcia's doing her work as we speak delving deeper into his life, but what we can tell you so far is that like the others he's a pretty non-descript guy, worked for an insurance company, was married but recently separated, wife took the two children to live with her parents, apparently couldn't take to big city living. She got worried when he failed to arrive to pick up the children for a spur of the moment weekend stay and called it in when he failed to answer her calls. Guys, this is the other reason we were called in so soon, I think we got lucky here, I think he was disturbed by the wife's calls, the coroner just left and thinks, off the record, that the time of death is between two and three hours ago."

"Was there a note JJ?" Emily asked at the same time as Gideon asked. "Did you enquire about out of place photographs?"

Garcia spoke this time. "I got an officer on the scene to open the note carefully, the CSI's are back logged tonight and haven't arrived yet. Are you guys ready?" She waited for them all to answer before reciting what the note had said. "Lived a man who fought for a cause."

"What? That's it?" Morgan cried, his anger at the situation boiling over. "What the hell help is that?"

Garcia realizing his anger was not aimed at her continued. "There was a photograph that the officer I spoke to thought looked out of place."

"What was it of?" Gideon asked.

"A white dove." Garcia answered.

"Okay." Hotch replied. "Keep digging Garcia, there has to be something that connects all the clues. JJ try and keep this quiet, and send what you find to the Philadelphia offices." With that he went to shut down the screen only to have Gideon stop him.

"Garcia, did you receive a video of Reid?"

"No, not yet, but that doesn't mean anything right? Reid's still alive right? Maybe, if like JJ thinks he's been disturbed, maybe he hasn't had time to make one yet. He's still alive, he has to be, right guys?"

"He's still alive, Garcia. Let us know if you do receive one." Hotch stated before closing the screen. He turned to look at the others, Prentiss and Morgan already sat with their files re-opened studying them contents intently. Gideon though was turned towards the window, a thoughtful look upon his face. "What are you thinking?" Hotch asked.

"There's something there to be found, but I just can't seem to pull the thought forward so that I can see it. I'm failing him again Hotch. I'm failing him." Gideon replied, his face still turned to the window, only turning away to fasten his seatbelt when he felt the plane begin to descend.

His captor was coming back. His hearing, increased to make up for his lack of sight, could hear his footsteps creaking their way down the stairs even through the closed door. He listened harder, trying to make out the muttered curses coming from the mans mouth, looking for anything that would give him a clue as to where he was. He moved the chain that held his hands, and used the throbbing it brought to his damaged wrist to help clear his mind and focus it on what he needed, eventually rewarded for his efforts when a stream of cussing ended with what he had longed to hear. Now all he could hope for was that he was here to video once more, so that he could set his plan in action.

He accidentally moved his wrists once more and couldn't help the groan that escaped his mouth. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have given up so easily? He knew the others would be looking for him, knew that some of them would never stop, did he really want to be found and have them know he had given up on them? He had ignored the voices then, pushed them back into their own cage in his mind, and focused all his efforts on survival. He had to survive, he owed it to them to do so.

He acted as he always did when he finally came in, submissive and broken, and prayed that the chills that wracked his frame would cover from his captor what he was about to do. Slowly he began to move his little finger in a series of up and down movements, each one causing agony to pierce it's way up his arm, but he knew he had to carry on, knew he had to help the others find him, knew that time was running out.

25_h _10_m _17_s_

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A.N. . . . . . . . . .Will be back soon with more, catch you later, Peanut x**


	9. Chapter 9

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thanks once again to everyone who has taken time out to read this fic, and to those who have reviewed, or added to favs. Your support, as always means a lot. Here's chapter 9, I hope that you enjoy. Peanut x**

* * *

_Previously on Criminal Minds. . . . . . . . . . . _

_He acted as he always did when he finally came in, submissive and broken, and prayed that the chills that wracked his frame would cover from his captor what he was about to do. Slowly he began to move his little finger in a series of up and down movements, each one causing agony to pierce it's way up his arm, but he knew he had to carry on, knew he had to help the others find him, knew that time was running out._

* * *

Gideon had to wonder, as they made there way back from the latest crime scene to yet another temporary base, just how they were all still standing. Looking around the small confines of the SUV he could clearly see the exhaustion etched upon the other team members faces, and the frustration and fear that clouded their eyes. Yet again the search of the scene had proved fruitless, confirming within him the belief that they already had all the answers, they just needed to combine the pieces to fit the puzzle back together; not for the first time he wished their resident puzzle expert was there with them, a small grin forming on his face as he did so, for if that were the case then this nightmare would be all over. He leaned back into the warm leather seat and allowed all other thoughts to leave his mind until it was still and calm, focusing on the words of the riddle once he had done so.

From a city across the sea,

To a city they came to be free,

Lived a man who fought for a cause,

Over and over the words ran themselves through his head, and over and over Gideon fought to make sense of them. A city across the sea? Where could that mean? What sea? Atlantic? Pacific? A city they came to be free? That clue seemed easier to Jason, it had to be New York, especially when you combined it with the picture of the Manhattan skyline, it was after all Ellis Island where people from all lands arrived hoping for a better life, hoping to be free. So if that was the case then surely the sea mentioned had to be an ocean, and that ocean had to be the Atlantic, but that didn't narrow down the search for the city any less, people had come from many lands, and those lands had many cities, there had to be more to that clue. A man who fought for a cause, was also stumping him, the list again was too many. It had to be a man who fought in New York, that much Jason was sure of, and most likely a man who fought for peace, what with the third picture being of the symbol, and the first of what he presumed as being two doves, but most peace activists at some point stayed in the Big Apple. He knew he was missing something, knew it was in the clues somewhere, but the more he tried to see it, the more it seemed to drift away.

He rubbed a hand over weary eyes, leaving it there to pinch over the bridge of his nose. He jumped when a voice called to him, and a hand gripped his arm. Opening heavy eyes he tried groggily to focus on who had startled him, finally picking out Emily's concerned features.

"What's up?" He managed to rasp out, accepting the cold bottle of water she handed to him, and relishing the wetness as it trickled down his parched throat. He was getting sick, he could feel it.

"We're back at the office, JJ just called they have the latest video of Reid. Are you okay?" She asked, not really expecting a straight answer, and not surprised when she didn't get one.

"I'm fine. Go on ahead, I'll be in soon." Jason replied, opening his door and getting out, thankful for the SUV's height as it hid from sight his slight stumble as the world seemed to tilt on it's axis. He took a deep breath and willed his aching body on, he didn't have time to be sick, Reid was counting on him. He waited until he heard Emily's heels click away before moving, his steps slow and small, his mind not wanting his body to be too quick in getting towards his destination, knowing what would be waiting there for him. Another video that he didn't want to see, another look at Reid hurting and alone, another glimpse of his own failure in keeping his adoptive son safe. In an act that was more reminiscent of Morgan, he punched his fist into the cool metal of the car, feeling bones strain and relishing the pain as it exploded up his arm, forcing his mind away from the negative thoughts that was threatening to consume him. He had to stay focused, he had to keep his mind alert. Flexing his fist, he thanked whoever was listening, that his moment of stupidity hadn't seemed to have seriously damaged the limb, before moving quicker into the building the others were waiting for him in.

He could tell they had started the video without him, could see the lights had been dimmed, and the screen flickering upon the white walls. Entering the room quietly he stood and waited against the wall, his eyes automatically zeroing in on the image the screen was playing, and on the son he wished was biologically his. It didn't even register when the link stopped playing, didn't even register when the other started analyzing what they had seen, didn't even register when they turned to him all waiting for his opinion, until Hotch's hand clamped onto his shoulder causing him to jump slightly as he was startled.

"Well, I guess we were right in thinking New York." He blurted out of nowhere.

"What?" The rest of the team exclaimed, before Morgan added. "What do you mean? How could you know that?"

"Reid told us."

"Reid never said a word Gideon. How could he have told us?" Emily asked.

"Rewind the link, it's there, towards the end." He waited for Emily to comply, stopping her at the right spot of the video. "Don't look at Reid's face, look at his hand, look at his finger. Do you see it?" He could tell straight away Hotch could, and waited whilst Emily and Morgan also figured it out. "It's Morse code. It's crude and at times hard to follow, but it's definitely Morse."

"So what is he telling us?" Emily asked.

"Not much, but enough to get us moving in the right direction. He definitely says New York, which fits with the clues. I think he's also saying below ground, and old."

"Well he looks like he's being kept in a basement, or cellar of some sort, so that fits. Do you think he saying it's an old building, or that the Un-sub is old?" Morgan asked

"I wish I knew." Gideon replied, stopping before adding more as his cell phone rang. Pulling it out he answered tersely before listening to the person on the other end. "Hold on JJ, let me put you on speaker. Okay repeat what you just said."

"We have another body. Manhattan police just confirmed. George Harrison, age 37, married with three children. He was murdered at his work place. I asked them to check for an out of place picture, and they confirmed that there was one, it's a picture of a book."

"What book?" Gideon asked.

"Hmmm, let me check. . . . . . . . . . . . . Catcher In The Rye. Does that mean something?"

"Maybe. What about the note."

"And another that took no time to pause." JJ recited.

From a city across the sea, To a city they came to be free, Lived a man who fought for a cause, And another that took no time to pause.

Gideon ran through the verse in his mind over and over again, but answers just didn't seem to want to break free. He jumped again as Morgan this time placed a hand on his shoulder. "What?" He asked.

"JJ has some more information."

"Sorry, go ahead JJ."

"Okay, Garcia's magic finally worked and the image of the first picture was finally clear enough for us to make out the birds. They're Liver Birds."

That was all that Gideon needed to hear, those two words seeming to click a switch inside his mind, allowing thoughts to ebb and flow and formulate answers. Liver Birds, city across the sea, Liverpool. Two towers, land they came to be free, Ellis Island was a port of call from immigrants, New York. Peace symbol, a man who fought for a cause, a man that came from Liverpool to New York, John Lennon. Catcher In The Rye, a man who took no time to pause, didn't Mark Chapman allegedly read that book before he shot John Lennon? Didn't he take no time to pause, as he fired twice into the former Beatles body?

"JJ, is Garcia there with you?"

"Yes Sir."

"I need her to run all the victims names, I know the last one does, but check the others, look for a connection to the Beatles, let me know what you find." He cut the call before turning to the three surprised faces before him. "We need to go. We need to get to Manhattan. I'll explain on the way."

22_h _34_m _59_s_

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . . .

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Well my plan to update every week kinda took a back seat, as after three months away, I finally returned to work full time. To say these past weeks have been hectic is an understatement and my muse kinda shut down. I'm so sorry for the wait, I'll try not to keep you waiting as long for chapter 10. Catch you soon, Peanut x**


	10. Chapter 10

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thanks once again to everyone who has taken time out to read this fic, and to those who have reviewed, or added to favs. Your support, as always means a lot. Here's chapter 9, I hope that you enjoy. Peanut x**

* * *

_Previously on Criminal Minds. . . . . . . . . . . . . ._

_That was all that Gideon needed to hear, those two word to click a switch inside his mind, allowing thoughts to ebb and flow and formulate answers. Liver Birds, city across the sea, Liverpool. Two towers, land they came to be free, Ellis Island was a port of call from immigrants, New York. Peace symbol, a man who fought for a cause, a man that came from Liverpool to New York, John Lennon. Catcher In The Rye, a man who took no time to pause, didn't Mark Chapman allegedly read that book before he shot John Lennon? Didn't he take no time to pause, as he fired twice into the former Beatles body?_

"_JJ, is Garcia there with you?"_

"_Yes Sir."_

"_I need her to run all the victims names, I know the last one does, but check the others, look for a connection to the Beatles, let me know what you find." He cut the call before turning to the three surprised faces before him. "We need to go. We need to get to Manhattan. I'll explain on the way."_

* * *

16_h _26_m _14_s_

Gideon was slowly stewing, working his way up into a full blown rage moment, whilst at the same time kicking himself for getting so optimistic, so sure that they would soon be finding their missing friend. He should have known better, when had life ever gone smoothly for them? Reid had been missing over a year and then had never found him, why should now be any different? Sure they had figured out the clues, figured out a destination, but they still had a massive area to search through, an area that contained hundreds of thousands of homes, they had to figure out a way to narrow that figure down. That task wasn't the reason for his anger though, no that was brought about by the severe snow storm and gale force winds that had grounded their tiny plane, and forced them to risk the drive to New York in white out conditions.

They had been traveling for three hours already, Morgan inching their way down the highway, his Chicago upbringing having giving him more experience than the others in these conditions, but Gideon could tell even he was losing what little hold he had on his famous temper, as they all watched the time slowly creep closer to Reid's captors deadline. They weren't going to make it, they'd wasted precious minutes, hell make that hours, waiting around at the airport, Gideon telling him of his suspicions, Garcia calling and confirming them, the four of them sat collaborating over evidence, until someone had finally come out to them and given them the bad news, no planes would be leaving any time soon. They'd wasted nearly another hour waiting for someone to find their parked vehicle, fill it up for the road trip ahead, and drive it back to them; their first indication of just how bad the weather had become. Now they were stuck slap bang in the middle of it, going nowhere fast, and each beginning to wonder if video links would be the last the would ever see of Reid alive.

"Let's go over the evidence again, we have to narrow the search down." Hotch eventually stated, wanting to do anything that would chip away at the defeat that was slowly consuming all of them.

"Why?" Morgan replied, his highly strung frame finally breaking as his anger and frustration reached boiling point. "What's the point, at this rate we aint going to get there in time anyway."

"That's enough Morgan." Hotch answered back. "We are going to make it." He firmly stated. "Or do you think so little of Reid, you want to give up on him already." He knew he has hit a nerve when his colleagues knuckles gripped the wheel all the more tighter. "Okay, what do we have?"

For the rest of the journey they went over and over links the Beatles had to New York, John Lennon in particular. There were many, but one in particular kept niggling at Gideon's mind, and as the signs for the Lincoln Tunnel finally came into sight, he pushed aside all his negative thoughts and decided to mention it.

"I think we need to concentrate around The Dakota Building. I think that's the area where Reid is being kept. I'd say we check out every building within a two block radius."

"Hell Gideon, that's still a hell of an area to search." Morgan exclaimed.

"Then we get some help. We call in every favor. We are not leaving him behind again." Gideon raged.

"Okay, okay, once we're closer I'll get Garcia and JJ on it."

Gideon allowed the chatter that followed to wash over him, his head turning towards the window, his eyes straining to see the Manhattan skyline through the snow that still fell heavily. Somewhere out there Reid sat waiting for them to take him home, and this time Gideon was determined to make sure he got there.

* * *

He was cold, so cold he was barely shivering any more. Deep down he knew that was a bad thing, knew that he needed to do something, anything to preserve heat, but weak and tired and wet he could do little but press he thin body even closer to the bars of his cage in a vain attempt to escape the puddle that had now consumed the whole floor, the icy liquid seeping through his threadbare clothing easily, chilling his limbs, and leaching away what little warmth he had. He wished he could bringing his arms down to wrap around himself, but his attempts at pulling his hands free had resulted in nothing more than wounds that he could tell were now infected, and a loss of blood he could little afford to lose.

No one was coming, he had resigned himself to that now. No one had understood his message, perhaps he had done it wrong? He had to have because the alternative didn't bare thinking about. Gideon should have known it, so if he had done it right and no one was coming, that would mean they didn't care, that they didn't want to save him, that they didn't want him back. Was that the case? Were they even still looking for him? He wanted to believe they were, but it had been so long. He tried to shake away those feeling, tried to believe that they still wanted him, that they were still looking for him, but he couldn't. Defeated, hurt, cold, tired and lost, he gave in, allowing his legs to crumple beneath him and dropped his body to the floor, ignoring the agony the movement created in his still bound wrists.

14_h _32_m _10_s_

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . . .

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . Will be back soon with more, Peanut x**


	11. Chapter 11

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thanks once again to everyone who has taken time out to read this fic, and to those who have reviewed, or added to favs. Your support, as always means a lot. Here's chapter 11, I hope that you enjoy. Peanut x**

**Just one add on, I've never been to New York so don't know how many buildings would be in a two block radius, but I'm hazarding a guess that it would be a lot, hence why the time has jumped so, and the fact that night fell.**

* * *

Previously on Criminal Minds.

_No one was coming, he had resigned himself to that now. No one had understood his message, perhaps he had done it wrong? He had to have because the alternative didn't bare thinking about. Gideon should have known it, so if he had done it right and no one was coming, that would mean they didn't care, that they didn't want to save him, that they didn't want him back. Was that the case? Were they even still looking for him? He wanted to believe they were, but it had been so long. He tried to shake away those feeling, tried to believe that they still wanted him, that they were still looking for him, but he couldn't. Defeated, hurt, cold, tired and lost, he gave in, allowing his legs to crumple beneath him and dropped his body to the floor, ignoring the agony the movement created in his still bound wrists._

* * *

4_h _3_m_ 12_s_

Morgan threw the bottle he had been drinking from at the wall of the run down building they had been searching, his anger finally cresting and bubbling over as the fruitlessness of the last 11 hours overwhelmed him. He was cold, he was tired and he was wet. They 'd searched for most of yesterday only stopping when the storm that had eased slightly crept back and it became too dangerous and too cold to continue, although even then they all wanted to keep going, nobody sleeping well back at their hotel, all four of them anxiously awaiting the break of a new day.

The severe storm had prevented them from receiving any help from the local PD, as accidents and power outages, requested all of their assistance, and all the local bureau could spare was an extra four bodies, everyone else needed to help solve two high profile cases of their own, and a G8 meeting of the worlds top politicians. They'd split into four teams, himself partnered with Gideon, and each taken a quarter of the section that had been mapped out from the Dakota Building. Even though they thought Reid was in a basement of some sort, they couldn't risk being wrong, so every floor was checked, the process slow and time consuming. Every hour they had radioed in, every hour Morgan hoping that this time there would be some news, but every hour turned out to be the same, fruitless searching that turned up nothing but street bums and rats, and with every hour that passed Morgan's hope at finding his brother alive began to fade.

"He's alive Derek, I know he is. He's close and he's alive, and we will find him this time." Gideon spoke, hoping to calm the younger agent down.

"How can you be so sure? How do we even know we're looking in the right area?" Morgan spat back. "Hell for all we know, we don't even have the right city."

"We have the right city, and we have the right area. He's here just waiting for us to find him and bring him home, and I will bring him home."

"And then what? Make him all better again? What about the fact that we're no closer to even finding out who done this. How is he ever going to recover if he knows the un-sub is still at large?"

"We'll find him too, he'll make a mistake at some point and we'll find him."

"I wish I had your confidence man."

"What, you just want to give up on Reid?"

"No! Never!"

"Then turn all that negativity around, we will find him. Come on lets move onto the next building." Gideon looked at his map as he finished speaking, his own hopes diminishing with each building they checked but there was no way he would tell Morgan that. They only had three more and then their quarter would be done, and he had no doubt that the others were close to completion too. They were missing something, he was sure of it, but what he had no idea. Pushing his own thoughts back he followed Morgan into the next building.

Three hours later, they were making their way back to the Dakota Building, time was running out quickly and they weren't any closer to finding Reid as they had been. It was frustrating as hell, and all Morgan and Gideon could hope for was that the others had had better luck, as the calls came through though, that hope diminished and as they reached their cars it all but disappeared as the final call came in. Gideon leaned back against the cool metal, as Morgan finished the call, his eyes drawn to the impressive building before him and the steps that blood had been spilt upon all those years ago, his mind mulling over all the clues they had been given, wondering if he had read them wrong, if he had brought the team to the wrong place, but his heart was telling him he hadn't, that this was the right place, that Reid was here somewhere. His eyes remained glue to the building as the other's slowly began to return, his mind caught in a thought; a thought he finally spoke out loud.

"Did anyone check out this building?" He asked, his finger pointing towards the Dakota.

He was numb, no feelings left within him, his mind shut off and blank. He knew he was still alive, could see through eyes that wanted to close, soft plumes that were created with each shallow breath he took. He knew also that he was dying, but this wasn't how it was supposed to be, there was no light to go into, was no one to meet him, was no warmth to surround him; had he been so bad heaven was unwilling to take him? Had he done so many bad things all that was left for him was hell?

He allowed his head to drop further to his chest as thoughts of failure engulfed him, and the pain he would leave with the ones he left behind consumed him. He hadn't even been given the chance to say goodbye. "Mom, I'm so sorry." He whispered, not moving or flinching as the door to his prison opened.

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . .

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . Thanks as always for taking time out to read, will be back soon with more. Peanut x**


	12. Chapter 12

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thanks once again to everyone who has taken time out to read this fic, and to those who have reviewed, or added to favs. Your support, as always means a lot. Here's chapter 12, I hope that you enjoy. Peanut x**

* * *

_Previously on Criminal Minds. . . . . . . . . . . _

_He was numb, no feelings left within him, his mind shut off and blank. He knew he was still alive, could see through eyes that wanted to close, soft plumes that were created with each shallow breath he took. He knew also that he was dying, but this wasn't how it was supposed to be, there was no light to go into, was no one to meet him, was no warmth to surround him; had he been so bad heaven was unwilling to take him? Had he done so many bad things all that was left for him was hell? He allowed his head to drop further to his chest as thoughts of failure engulfed him, and the pain he would leave with the ones he left behind consumed him. He hadn't even been given the chance to say goodbye. "Mom, I'm so sorry." He whispered, not moving or flinching as the door to his prison opened._

* * *

He moved as quietly, stealthily as possible through the water flooded and litter strewn basement, although as he rounded the corner and saw his prey he could see there was no need for it. He looked down with no pity, no remorse, upon his captive the corners of his mouth turning slightly as he realized his greatest work was about to be achieved. So long had the great BAU thought they were so much cleverer they everyone else, yet when it came down to the crunch, when it came down to finding one of their own, he had proved that they were not. He'd watched them scurry about above where he was now, watched as they frantically searched each and every building but this one, wasting time and effort when the clues had been so easy, leading them right to where they needed to go, if they had only read them right. He had thought about leaving now that his goal was now accomplished, thought about moving on to his next game and the puzzles he would create, but the urge, the need, the want, to send just one more hammering blow to the BAU grew inside him until it consumed him with a lust he couldn't sate. Oh how he wished he could be a fly on the wall when this video was eventually watched, how he wished he could witness the pain and torture upon the faces of those he hated as they watched their young genius' last breath.

It was too much, and as he moved closer video camera in hand, he found himself trembling from more than just the chill that saturated the basement. He'd strived over his plans for so long, ever since the day he had lost that which meant everything to him, losing everything else he had ever had, everything else he had ever loved in his quest. He'd engineered the murders and the kidnappings last year as a trial, keeping the youngster as his confidence grew, he wasn't the end game he had originally planned, but the more he thought about it, the more he watched as they anxiously searched for both men, he knew the youngster should be the one, knew that the only way to show those who thought they knew everything, that they needed to be better, was to make them hunt for one of their own. So he had watched as they found the other, his captive unconscious in the foot well of his truck, before carefully and cautiously leaving the state. Hiding for the year had been easy, nobody could trace him to the kidnappings, and even if by some miracle they did, nobody knew about his ranch in rural Virginia.

There he had tended for the young man, kept him alive but barely, drugged him when need arose until he was a mere shell of the man he used to be, until it took all of his efforts to just wake up and stay awake each day. Whilst his captive was diminishing every day, his own plans were blossoming. He researched intently, found the bond he wanted to connect his victims, figured out the clues that would join to lead the BAU back to their own, found the unfortunate quarries he would need to bind it all together. When the time for the end game drew closer he left for days, weeks at a time, leaving the young man alone with little water and no food, as he drove to watch his future victims go about their everyday lives looking for ways in, cracks that he could utilize, finding them easily, cursing humans for being so stupid, so lax, whilst at the same time thanking them for being so as it made his job so much easier. And then the time came.

He moved Reid first, taking him to this place, driving carefully once again to avoid detection, moving him inside under the cover of darkness and pelting rainfall, positioning him with the cage that he would come to know as his last home, failure at this didn't even enter his mind, to fail would mean that they were better than him, but if that were the case why hadn't they found her? No, they would not make it in time, even if the clues were given to them. He'd left then, gone to create his first new victim, growing more and more confident as his plans fell into fruition. Each time he returned he witnessed the growing state of weakness his final victim was enduring, for this would be his final victim, this was his swan song, he would retire happily after today always knowing that he was the one they couldn't catch; but each time he returned he always found himself leaving afterwards disappointed, he wanted more, needed more, but until today he never could figure out what that more was.

Now though he knew. He needed the begging, needed the pleas for mercy, needed to see that last breath and the light as it faded from his victims eyes. So he had returned, even though he knew he should run, and watched as those imbecilic agents scurried around like the useless humans they were, not seeing that which was right before their eyes. He returned and taped as he waited for the time to end, pulling on a mask as it did so, and placing the camera so that it could record Spencer Reid's last moments, and the agony those last moments would cause him. Picking up the album he had picked out specially, he moved forward.

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A.N. . . . . . . . . Will be back soon with more, catch you all later, Peanut x**


	13. Chapter 13

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thanks once again to everyone who has taken time out to read this fic, and to those who have reviewed, or added to favs. Your support, as always means a lot. Here's chapter 13, I hope that you enjoy. Peanut x**

* * *

_Previously on Criminal Minds. . . . . . . . _

_Now though he knew. He needed the begging, needed the pleas for mercy, needed to see that last breath and the light as it faded from his victims eyes. So he had returned, even though he knew he should run, and watched as those imbecilic agents scurried around like the useless humans they were, not seeing that which was right before their eyes. He returned and taped as he waited for the time to end, pulling on a mask as it did so, and placing the camera so that it could record Spencer Reid's last moments, and the agony those last moments would cause him. Picking up the album he had picked out specially, he moved forward._

* * *

We had to split up again, we had no choice the corridors spreading out before us like rabbit warrens, dark and dusty, cobwebs dangling, catching you by surprise, igniting unwanted nervous reaction's. Morgan came with me once again, Hotch's way of keeping me in line if we find the un-sub, big mistake; Morgan's wound up tighter than I have ever seen him, I've seen the way he looks to Reid like a sibling, if we find him looking as he did in the video's, and the un-sub is there too, it'll be a race to see who can kill him first. We have to find them first though, and so far the search is proving fruitless.

The beams from our flashlights cast an eerie glow over door after door, but a quick scan of the knobs and the undisturbed dust that gathers like silt on the floor tells us both everything we need to know, the room doesn't hold the prize we are looking for. I can tell just by looking at the floor, can tell Morgan sees it too, the un-sub hasn't been down this way, but we have to keep looking, the others haven't called back with good news, so maybe there's another way down here, maybe that bastard took that route, maybe Reid will be just around the next corner.

I jump before freezing, only just able to raise my light to see the look of fear and anguish and regret that is spread across Morgan's face, as his watch signals the end of time, a look I'm sure is slowly spreading across my own. It can't be. Not now. Not whilst we are so close. Reid is here, I'm positive of it, we can't lose him now. I see my own thoughts echoed back at me and we both, as one, move further into the passageways. Turning a corner, and then another sharp one, we get our first break, our first clue apart from feelings that Reid is actually down here, a disturbance in the dust around a door. A quick glance inside is all we need, to know that this is the way he came in, and turn our attention back onto the floor to follow the footsteps clearly now indicated there, out breaths catching as we move further down the walkway and see the water pouring down the walls from a crack within the ceiling to gather upon the floor, before gravity slides it down towards the last doorway. I sneak a glance at Morgan, see his eyes come up to meet mine, witness within them for the first time hope. This has to be it. Now we can only prey that we still have a little time.

* * *

This isn't going as planned. He's not giving me the satisfaction I need. Not secreting the fear, or shouting out the pain, he's just lying there, numb and withdrawn and quiet, so deadly quiet. This is not right. This is not right at all. I need begging and pleading and crying for mercy, and life, not this quietness. Maybe the pain I have inflicted so far is not enough, maybe once he feels the vinyl skewer it's way into his soft flesh he will give me the sounds I deserve to hear. He doesn't move as I rip the threadbare shirt he is wearing apart, doesn't even flinch as I unfurl him from the coiled position he has maneuvered himself into, his eyes vacant, his face slack, only the soft wisps of misty air telling me he is still with me, and his nonchalant behavior ignites within me even more fury. He has to pay for his disobedience, he has to give me the cries I so need or this will not be over, I will have failed.

The first slice sends shivers down my spine, but still my prey remains the same, quiet and still. I press harder, feeling resistance at first, but gradually forcing the shard through layers of flesh and muscle and tissue. I gain a reaction then, but the barely there whimper, and the stiffening of his body is not nearly enough. I pull the shard slowly out and raise it once again, this time I will not be so slow and careful, this time I will be brutal and harsh. I thrust the broken record down again, penetrating easily this time through the pale flesh, and eliciting a response that fills me with excitement and moaning with pleasure. Still in the throes of gratification, I remove the shard once more, and move upwards. It's time to finish the game.

I pull on the matted and filthy hair, positioning my preys head so that I can gain access to the creamy white skin that covers it's neck, and the precious vessels that throb beneath it. Eyes turn my way, eye that are filled with pain and exhaustion, regret and forgiveness, and just a hint of what I am looking for, supplication. It's just a hint, but it's enough. I move the shard forward, aiming for it's final destination, stopping to admire as a bright white light engulfs my vision, and a searing pain rips it's way through my body, piercing my heart, shattering it to pieces, as another pain engulfs my head, stopping all signals from my brain.

* * *

We both rush over together after the echoes of the shots had died down, a quick check all we needed to confirm are aims were true, before we push him aside like the garbage he was and turn our attention upon the one we came here for, the missing piece of our family, our heart. Seeing him in the flesh for the first time in a year brings tears to our eyes, and tells us all we need to know. We may have found our son, our brother, but the real battle is about to begin, and it's a battle we could still yet lose.

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . So the un-sub failed, or did he? Will Reid have the strength to survive? Tune in next time to find out. Catch you all soon, Peanut x**


	14. Chapter 14

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . . I'm so sorry this chapter has taken so long to get out to you, real life and a muse on vacation have kind of knocked me for six these last weeks. Thanks to lolyncut for the kick up the bum to get moving again. Thanks also, once again to everyone who has taken time out to read this fic, and to those who have reviewed, or added to favs. Your support, as always means a lot. Here's chapter 14, I hope that you enjoy. Peanut x**

* * *

_Previously on Criminal Minds._

_We both rush over together after the echoes of the shots had died down, a quick check all we needed to confirm are aims were true, before we push him aside like the garbage he was and turn our attention upon the one we came here for, the missing piece of our family, our heart. Seeing him in the flesh for the first time in a year brings tears to our eyes, and tells us all we need to know. We may have found our son, our brother, but the real battle is about to begin, and it's a battle we could still yet lose._

* * *

Gideon's POV.

I can't believe it. No matter how hard I try, I just can't believe it. We have him back alive, and I just can't believe it. I never once gave up complete hope, but as the days turned into months and then a year I started to worry, as the hours counted down into minutes I started to doubt, we all did, but we did it, and he's here, his cold hand gradually warming in my own, his chest rising and falling as he pulls in air, his eyelashes fluttering as he battles another dream, and I can do little to stop the tears from falling from my eyes. I have him back, my son has been found, and this time I'm not about to walk away because I know there's still a huge war to wage, a war to reawaken the man he used to be.

I stopped listening as the Doctors rambled on about malnutrition, dehydration, hypothermia, blood loss, infections, broken bones, joint damage; the list seeming to go on and on and on. Stopped listening because I knew, deep down, none of that would matter if Spencer didn't have the will to fight back. Weight could be regained, bones reset, blood replaced, but there was no fix, no instant cure for the mind, and we all knew that that would be where the battle would be fought, the battle to bring back the Spencer we all loved.

I'd sent the others back to the hotel to rest up after Reid had been placed in his own private room after surgery to fix his wrists, they'd all protested, all wanting to be there when he woke up, all wanting to help, but I know Reid, I know how he thinks, I know what he feels, and I know that a room crowded with people, even if they are like family, would not be what he would like to wake up to. He's going to be tired and disorientated and fearful and emotional, and I know he'd be loathe to break down in front of everyone, so I put my foot down, used my right as Reid's listed next of kin to insist they go, but I know they haven't, know that right at this moment Emily will be sat all stoic and unemotional on one of the couches in the lounge area, whilst Hotch leans against the wall wondering if he could have done anything differently, he couldn't; and Morgan will be wearing a hole in the tiles of the hallway, as he paces back and forth, back and forth, scaring off anyone who dares come within feet of Reid's door, demanding to see credentials of every doctor and nurse that enters. I also know that JJ and Garcia will be here soon, and as I realize those facts I also realize how wrong I was. I'm going to need their strength soon, Reid's going to need their strength soon.

My thoughts turn back to the frail and broken form upon the bed that seems to drown his tall frame, as the nightmare he's been battling increases, soft moans and hoarse pleas for help escaping from dry and chapped lips, causing more tears to fall from my own raw eyes and sobs to choke me as I hear my own name mumbled over and over again, always followed by a distraught cry of apology, and I have to wonder just what is going on in that oversized brain of his? Just what does he think happened to me? Just what did that bastard tell him? It all becomes clear to me soon enough though as I watch the nightmare escalate quicker than I can stop it and a haggard cry of "Gideon, noooooooooo" echoes around the room, causing me to flinch back momentarily from the misery that emanates from Reid, before my brain finally kicks in gear and I reach for the flailing body that's struggling against the restraints.

I feel hurt as Reid flinches from me as I brush sweat soaked bangs from his eyes, but it doesn't last as soon enough he's responding to the comforting touch, calming down and once more drifting off into oblivion, causing momentary pangs of regret to consume me as I wish he would stay awake just that little bit longer. I know that sleep is the best thing for him at the moment, but I just need to see his eyes, I need to know he's still in there, they've never been able to lie to me, and I know that I could tell from just one glance, just how big of a task we have before us, just how far Reid has retreated, just how willing he is to come back. I also now know I need him to see me, that he believes that I am dead, and I know that knowledge will only hamper his recovery. For now though, all I can do is offer comfort and wait, something I have no problem doing.

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . . .

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . Thank you so much for your patience, I can only hope that the wait was worth it? Catch you soon, Peanut x**


	15. Chapter 15

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . I have to apologize again for making you wait for an update, real life has been getting in the way for a long time now to the point where I have now decided to make some big changes at work, hopefully I will come away from these changes a happier person, which in turn will make writing that much easier. Thanks to Lolyncut for keeping the pressure on, in a nice way, to finish this. **

**On a side note, I wasn't going to respond to another reviewer but I feel the need to defend myself, if you are going to criticize me at least have the decency to do so in a signed review or a PM so that I have the chance to respond. Have you tried writing? At times it's so easy you can get a chapter out in 30 minutes, at other times it just doesn't happen and when you try to force it, it comes out as crap. Which would you rather? A quick update where you go, what the hell? Or to wait a while for one you truly enjoy? Because I know I would rather wait. Anyway enough ranting for now, enjoy chapter 15. Peanut x**

* * *

_Previously on Criminal Minds._

_I feel hurt as Reid flinches from me as I brush sweat soaked bangs from his eyes, but it doesn't last as soon enough he's responding to the comforting touch, calming down and once more drifting off into oblivion, causing momentary pangs of regret to consume me as I wish he would stay awake just that little bit longer. I know that sleep is the best thing for him at the moment, but I just need to see his eyes, I need to know he's still in there, they've never been able to lie to me, and I know that I could tell from just one glance, just how big of a task we have before us, just how far Reid has retreated, just how willing he is to come back. I also now know I need him to see me, that he believes that I am dead, and I know that knowledge will only hamper his recovery. For now though, all I can do is offer comfort and wait, something I have no problem doing._

* * *

Three weeks later.

Gideon walked back down the sterile, sparse, and institutional hallway to Reid's private room, a cup of lukewarm black sludge dangling from almost limp fingers. He was tired, so very tired. His body, mind and spirit just begging for the past year to just all be over, for things to start getting back to normal, for life to just continue on, for Reid to get back to being the loving, geeky, super genius they all knew and loved. But Reid was no where near normal, if anything he was getting worse and worse by the day, and the toll of sitting and watching as his Son slowly faded before him, could now be clearly seen in Gideon's eyes. Eye's that three weeks previous had been so full of joy and hope at finally seeing Reid after all that time, so full of joy and hope at the thought that they could make up for lost time, that he could finally be a Father to Reid and show him the love his real Father failed to, those eyes had now become filled with remorse and guilt and a sadness so deep it chipped away slowly at his heart.

Reid's body had eventually woken up, but his spirit lay dormant. He lay there hour after hour, day after day, unmoving unless someone pushed him to, staring unfocused into space. He refused to eat and drink, IV's and a feeding tube the only thing sustaining his body, a body that was now near skeletal. Gideon had nearly been sick when he had returned from another such walk, for another bad cup of coffee, and seen the tube threaded down Reid's nose. Reid had apparently not protested the intrusion at all, and as he thought back now, Gideon realized that was the day he himself truly began to lose hope, Reid at any other time would have been embarrassed and distraught at having to be in bed, let alone fed.

He paused at the doorway to the room, draining the last of his drink and grimacing at the taste before throwing the Styrofoam container away and slowly pushing open the door. Reid's nurse was finishing off some notes as he entered, a glance with no words spoken, all Gideon needed to confirm that once again nothing had changed, that Spencer was still out there, lost. He pulled his seat back over to the bed, his body protesting as he placed it once more upon the hard plastic, his hand reaching out for Reid's and once more clutching the clammy flesh and bones. He waited until the nurse left before speaking words he had rehearsed over and over again, words that needed to be said, but had failed to be spoken.

"Reid, I know that you're in there somewhere. I know that deep down you can hear me, and understand me. I know that where you are you probably feel safe, but I need you to listen. I know you probably want to stay there, but I need you to make the braver step and come back to us. I know I should have said this earlier, that things perhaps wouldn't have gotten as bad as they have if I had done so, but you know me, well maybe you don't anymore, I'd rather run away than deal with feelings it's the easier option, but I know this time that I can't. I can't run away and leave you like this. I can't allow you to do this to yourself anymore, if I leave now, and if you continue to be like this, then that bastard will have won, and he doesn't deserve to win Reid. You do. You deserve to live a great life, surrounded by great friends and family."

He replaced the cool hand gently back upon the bed, and slowly stood, brushing at errant tears he hadn't even realized were falling.

"I need for you to come back Reid. We all need you to come back. You're part of our family, hell you're the heart of it, and without you there this past year we've crumbled and seperated. Sure we've lived, and worked, but the feeling, the love we had for life and this job just wasn't there. Come back. Help us. We need you. We miss you. Hell you're gonna make me say it, aren't you? We love you Reid, I love you Spencer. I wish to God every day that I had been your Father so that you could have been told that more often, but maybe it's not too late? Maybe if you come back, we can start anew, we might not be of the same blood, but sometimes that's better. We can do things that Father's and Son's do, we can go to ball games and stuff? Gideon chuckled before adding. "Hell who am I kidding? Spencer Reid at a ball game, but maybe we could do something that you would like?"

Gideon stopped talking, glancing down at Reid to see if his words had made any difference, only to become disheartened as Reid still lay motionless upon the bed. He swept an arm through the pile of magazines placed upon the rolling table that lay at the foot of the bed, the spines cracking harshly upon the floor as they landed.

"What the hell? Gideon, what the hell's going on?" Morgan asked as one of the larger volumes smacked into his shins. "What happened?" He asked, rushing to Reid's side, his heart thudding as he thought his friend, his brother had somehow deteriorated even more. At seeing no sign of any change, he turned back to Gideon. "You want to tell me what that was all about?"

"What do you want me to say? How do you want me to react? I'm getting sick of it. I'm getting sick and tired of coming here day after day, and sitting hour after hour, and seeing no change. I just want him back, hell at this point I'd even settle for him to just focus on something, instead of that horrible dead gaze, at least I would know that he was still willing to fight."

"Give him time Gideon. We don't know what he's been through, we might never know. We don't know what was done to him. We don't know what he was told about us, or what hell he's been made to think."

"Time! I've given time and nothings changed!"

Morgan cringed as the chair Gideon had been sitting upon was suddenly hurtled across the room.

"Gideon!"

"I can't deal with this." The older man responded before rushing for the door, the wooden barrier crashing against the wall as he stormed through it's frame.

Morgan ran a weary hand across his face, his mind in turmoil, go after Gideon and make sure he was alright, or stay with Reid. His mind made up for him as he turned to his Brother and for the first time in a long time saw life begin to return to his brown orbs, and for them to slowly turn and focus upon the now closing door. He shouted Gideon's name hoping that the older man was calming down somewhere close to Reid's room, rushing for the door when no response was made, but the hallway outside was empty. Deciding to deal with the angry man later, Morgan returned to Reid, a genuine smile plastered across his face.

To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . . I hope that was to your liking, catch you soon, Peanut x**


	16. Chapter 16

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . Thanks to everyone who has taken time out to read this fic. Here's chapter 16. Peanut x**

* * *

_Previously On Criminal Minds. . . . . . . . _

_Morgan ran a weary hand across his face, his mind in turmoil, go after Gideon and make sure he was alright, or stay with Reid. His mind made up for him as he turned to his Brother and for the first time in a long time saw life begin to return to his brown orbs, and for them to slowly turn and focus upon the now closing door. He shouted Gideon's name hoping that the older man was calming down somewhere close to Reid's room, rushing for the door when no response was made, but the hallway outside was empty. Deciding to deal with the angry man later, Morgan returned to Reid, a genuine smile plastered across his face._

* * *

Each time he woke up he gradually became more and more coherent, his waking spells lasting longer and longer, but he never spoke, not one word leaving his dry and cracked lips, and he never acknowledged them, his somber and still slightly glazed eyes focusing on nothing but the door to his room, willing for it to open and the one he needed to see to walk through, but each time it did open disappointment crashed over him. So he stared and he waited until his eyes could stay open no longer and he drifted into a land where nightmares ruled, only to repeat the process when he woke trembling and sweaty and scared.

Morgan watched him do this day after day after day, his anger at Gideon for leaving and not returning intensifying with each passing second. He watched as Reid withdrew into himself, watched as the teams attempts to break through his walls were shot down every time, watched as his friend waited every waking minute for the only voice that would bring him reassurance and comfort, remained the only voice he failed to hear. Five days passed in much the same way before Morgan was finally granted that what he had been praying for.

"He's not coming back, is he?" A small voice whispered out, it's tone hoarse and full of fear, the body it came from shrinking beneath the sheets that covered him as though waiting some sort of retribution for daring to speak.

Unwilling to do anything that would send his friend spiraling back into the shell he had become, Morgan quashed down his excitement at hearing Reid's voice and kept his own tone light as he replied honestly. "I don't know."

"Where is he?" Reid choked out around a chough that triggered more to come. He jumped slightly as a straw was pressed to his lips, and looked up for permission before drinking hesitantly from the cup held within Morgan's hand.

Morgan noticed the hesitation though and felt rage flood through him. He wanted to revive the devil that had created that fear within his friend, just so that the fiend could feel that fear himself before he was thrown back into the hell that was too good for him. He hated that his friend, who could always see the good in others had been subjected to such trauma, and prayed for the strength he knew he would need to bring back the man that was in some respects still very much a child. He missed Reid's unquenchable thirst for more knowledge no matter what the subject matter was. He missed his friends almost child like wonder whenever they treated him to something he had missed out on in his own stifled childhood. Hating the fact that his words would bring no comfort to Reid, he answered again with the same words. "I don't know."

"Oh." Was all the response he received as Reid once more turned his attention back towards the doorway.

"Reid, the others are looking for him."

"Okay. I'm tired, I'm gonna rest now." Reid replied, his eyes closing slightly before shooting back open and adding. "Is that okay?" The fear once more evident within his tone.

Morgan nearly choked on his anger as he swallowed it back down, unwilling to let his brother see it. He reached out and brushed a few strands of loose hair from Spencer's face, ignoring the flinch his actions created, and plastering a smile upon his face he hoped his friend would believe before answering. "Yeah, that's okay. You're safe now Reid. You're free, and you don't have to ask for permission to do anything that you want to do. If you want to sleep, then you sleep. I'll be here when you wake up I promise."

He watched as his words seemed to sink in, Reid's face seeming to relax a little. Watched as a question was formed, a question his friend was reluctant to speak. "Hey buddy, you wont get in trouble for asking, so come on spit it out."

"Can I. . . . . . . . . . . . Can I get this removed?" Spencer eventually asked, his fingers tracing along the feeding tube that was still present, his eyes downcast and submissive.

"Hey, hey. Look at me Spencer." Morgan asked gently. "I told you that you wouldn't get into any trouble for asking, do you believe me?"

Eyes filled with tears looked up into his own as the head they belonged to nodded slightly. "It's just hard. I don't know at times what to believe, what's real and what's not." Reid hesitated before adding. "This is real, isn't it?"

"Yeah buddy, this is real. Your alive, and I'm here. We'll get you through this Reid, I promise." He watched as some of the fear began to leave his friends eyes, watched as they slowly began to droop, Spencer fighting the sleep that wanted to claim him. "Hey, go to sleep. I'll be here to wake you if need be."

"You promise not to leave me alone?"

"I promise." Morgan replied, settling himself down for an uncomfortable stay as Reid's eyes finally closed, his friends hand seeking his own and holding on tightly.

**To Be Continued. . . . . . . . . . **

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . I hope that you enjoyed, will be back soon with more, Peanut x**


	17. Chapter 17

**Missing.**

**Summary. . . . . . . . . . . Two agents go missing, one is found, just what has happened to the other? And how long do you keep looking?**

**Disclaimer. . . . . . . . . Not mine, never will be, just playing in this wonderful sandbox.**

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . . . Thanks to everyone who has taken time out to read this fic, and can only apologize profusely for the extra long wait. Here's chapter 17. Peanut x**

* * *

_Previously on Criminal Minds._

_Eyes filled with tears looked up into his own as the head they belonged to nodded slightly. "It's just hard. I don't know at times what to believe, what's real and what's not." Reid hesitated before adding. "This is real, isn't it?"_

"_Yeah buddy, this is real. Your alive, and I'm here. We'll get you through this Reid, I promise." He watched as some of the fear began to leave his friends eyes, watched as they slowly began to droop, Spencer fighting the sleep that wanted to claim him. "Hey, go to sleep. I'll be here to wake you if need be."_

"_You promise not to leave me alone?"_

"_I promise." Morgan replied, settling himself down for an uncomfortable stay as Reid's eyes finally closed, his friends hand seeking his own and holding on tightly._

* * *

Reid sat at the end of his hospital bed, long legs drawn up, his head resting upon boney knees, his mind fraught with questions, his stomach churning with doubt, his eyes ever alert for any sign of danger. It was his release day, a day he had looked forward to for a long time, the sterile smell of the hospital too closely reminding him of the institutions his Mother had been placed in before he had found her current one. Now that the day was finally here though, he found himself wondering if he was ready to re-enter a world that had always been so cruel to him.

Sure the doctors and psychologists had been all smiles pronouncing him ready, but they didn't see what he saw, didn't feel what he felt, didn't suffer as he suffered. The nightmares were frequent, each time the same, chained and caged and alone, waiting for someone to come, only in his dreams no one ever did. They stole him from his rest, prevented him from returning until rough hands shook him viciously, pure sleep only coming to him under the help of heavy sedatives, but even then they invaded, always tickling the outer edges of his consciousness. The dark circles he had always worn, now even more pronounced.

It wasn't just his mind that he felt wasn't ready, it was his body too. Taking, yesterday, his first private shower since he had been found, Reid had looked on in disgust at how frail he had become, what little muscle tone he had previously had, wasted away as his body had fought to sustain itself. How the hell was he supposed to fend for himself, or battle off would be attackers, if he could barely lift up a pen.

As he thought of attackers, his breathing started to increase, a panic attack threatening to consume him. He didn't want to go out there into a world he no longer believed to be safe, into a world he knew held demons in every dark corner, but he also didn't want to stay here, in this room that was a constant reminder that some day this would probably be his life. He fought back the panic, he had to if he wanted to go home, and he did want to go home. He had things he needed to do, a person he needed to find, questions that needed answered.

Morgan had told him about his new apartment, about how they had tried to make it look like his old one, about the added security they had installed and the guards in the main lobby. Reid, concerned at first as to why he had to move, worried that the un-sub that had taken him was still out there roaming free, that the others had lied to him when they assured him that he was in fact dead, not believing them until Hotch had finally showed him the photo's that proved his nightmare was over. Now he needed to get there, needed to be alone so that he could get started on his plan.

Everyday he had waited for his door to open and hoped that every time that it did, he would walk through. But every time brought nothing but disappointment as everyone of his friends but the one he really needed to see entered instead. He'd tried every number he knew, but they all went unanswered; asked everyone of their friends and colleagues, but the answer was the same every time, no one had seen or heard from the man. Reid though knew where to find him, and now he only needed to be alone to do so.

He jumped as Morgan walked through the door, his friends eyes filled with concern as he took in the huddle form upon the bed. "You okay man? You know you don't have to leave so soon? You can stay here as long as you want, or you could stay with me if you don't feel up to going home."

He forced himself to unfurl, forced what he hoped was a smile upon his features as he clambered down from the only home he had known these past months. "No, I'm good. I want to go home." Adding to his words when he saw doubt creep across Morgan's face. "Honestly, I'm good. I need to do this."

He'd thought he would have been left alone once he had been taken to his new home, thought they would have all given him his space, he should have really known better. Between the girls hovering and mothering, and Hotch and Morgan trying to act as though they weren't scooping out the place for danger signs, and failing miserably, and the tension that ran through the room like an unstoppable freight train, he was beginning to wish he had stayed at the hospital. He must have shown the headache that was building, and the weariness that was engulfing him, because JJ suddenly started propelling him towards his bedroom, whilst at the same time ushering everybody else out of the door, waiting until he had collapsed across the bed before covering him with a blanket and leaving herself.

He waited, pushing down the pain and tiredness, before uncovering himself and walking towards the window, peeking out from behind the blinds and not at all surprised to see Morgan's car still sitting outside. He would have to go the back way. Making his way through his darkened home, his picked up his coat, bolted his door behind him and made his way to the elevator, making up plans as he went along. Getting a cab was easy enough, getting the driver to take him to the remote and out of the way spot not so much, a hefty tip in the end ensuring his cooperation.

The closer he got to his destination, the more sure he was he had been so terribly wrong, and as the taxi rounded the last bend and the cabin before him lay as dark as night, his heart sank. He got out anyway, sending the driver away, the need to be alone growing within him. Instinctively he knew where Gideon would have hidden the spare key, placing it within the lock and letting himself in, turning on the light and allowing his eyes to adjust, his gaze once they had done so, falling upon the folded up piece of paper resting upon the small wooden table. Walking over he picked it up, his hands trembling, as he opened it up.

_Spencer_,

_I knew eventually you would be the one to figure out where I would have run to, but I also knew that I couldn't be here when you did so, no matter how much I really wanted to be, and for that I am truly sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen to you, and yet I feel responsible that it did. _

_It was me that insisted we check out the original crime scene without back up. It was me that walked us straight into that mad mans trap. It was me who he allowed to be rescued, when it should have been you. I was the senior agent, I should have known better, I should have made sure you were safe, but I wanted him stopped and my hunger for that consumed me, and you got hurt, and that's something I will never be able to forgive myself for._

_So, I have gone away. Please don't try and find me, for I am no longer the man you once knew, no longer the man I once prided myself on being, and until I am that man once again, I am no longer fit enough for you to be around._

_I'm so proud of you Spencer, more proud of you than if you had been my own Son. You have a light that shines deep within you that allows you to see good in everything, and that light with guide you through what troubles now lay ahead of you. You will beat this, coming out the other side stronger than ever, of that I am sure, and although I wont be there with you physically, I will be in spirit, I will be in your heart._

_I hope someday, you will be able to forgive me for all that I have done, and who knows, somewhere, sometime, maybe we'll meet again. I love you Spencer, don't let this beat you, go forward and make a good life for yourself._

_Gideon._

He stared at the letter long after he had finished reading it, emotions battling one another within him. He was mad, so very mad that Gideon had left. Sad that the man had felt the need to do so, he'd never blamed him for what happened, and he never would. He felt loved for the first time in a long time, and yet knew it wasn't just his mentor that felt that way about him, that the whole team did so. And he felt happy, because he knew Gideon was right, he could beat this, he would beat this, and he would come out the other side a better man for it.

He looked up with tear filled, yet happy eyes, as the door to the cabin opened and Morgan entered gun drawn, the older man re-holstering his weapon as he saw no threat.

"Dammit Reid! You know how worried the other's have been, how worried I was. Garcia practically threatened to rip the cab owners throat out if he didn't give her the information she wanted. What the hell were you thinking?"

"He's gone." Was all that the younger man could think of to respond.

"Who?" Morgan asked, his frantic mind not following Reid's train of thought.

"Gideon. He was here and now he's gone_, _but he left a note and he's right."

"About what?"

"Me. He's right about me. I am strong, I will beat this, and I will be a better man for it."

Morgan walked over to where Reid was sitting, and crouched down to his level before answering. "He is right. You are strong, you will beat this, and you will be a better man, although I have to say, you already were a pretty good one to begin with." Laughing along with the younger man at his words. "Now what do you say we get out of here? Or would you rather wait for the ladies to arrive?"

He looked back as he reached the door, looked back on what was his past, before stepping over the threshold and into his future. A future he now believed would be a bright one.

**A.N. . . . . . . . . . Thanks to everyone who has stuck by me through this one, I can only hope that you thought it was worth waiting for. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a safe, healthy and happy New Year. Peanut x**


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